Bicycle.



No. 660,981. Patented Oct. 30, |9U0.

N. M.. BARNES. BICYCLE.

(Application 61nd Jun. .13, 1900.)

(No Modal.)

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Nrrnn STATES ArnNT einen.

BICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 660,981` dated October 30, 1900.

Application led January 13, 1900. Serial No. 1,362. (No model.)

To all whom t may con/cern:

Be it known that 1, NATHAN M. BARNES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have in vented new and useful Improvements in Bicycles, of which the following is a speciiication.

Myinvention relatesto safety-bicycles having propelling mechanism of the crank-andgear type, and is designed more particularly as an improvement upon the bicycle disclosed in my Letters Patent No. 619,118, ofFebruary 7, 1899.

It consists in the peculiar and advantageous construction hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims appended.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side'elevation of a safety-bicycle constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section of the rear. portion of the bicycle, illustrating the frame construction and the driving-gear.

Referring by letter to the said drawings, A is the front or pilot wheel ot' the machine, which is mounted in the fork d of asteeringpost b, as usual.

B is the rear or drive wheel, and O-is the main frame. rIhe said frame is preferably of tubing and has the usual head-bar c and top line-bar d. It also has a bottom line-bar e, which is peculiar in thatit terminates at its rear end in a fork f, and a rear-seat posttube g, which is peculiar in that it is fixedly joined at its upper end to the rear end ofthe top line-bar d and has its lower portion shaped to form a fork h, designed to straddle the rear wheel B, as shown. The rear ends of the fork fof the bottom line-bar and the lower ends of the fork of the seat-post tube g are connected through the medium of short sections z', ot tubing, and rings j k, as shown. The rings j, which are interiorly threaded, as indicated by Z, are interposed between the rear ends of the tube-sections i and the lower ends ot' fork h and are provided with lugs fm n, which are arranged in and connected by brazing to the ends of the tube-sections and fork,

respectively, as shown. The rings 7c are provided with threaded apertures p and are also provided with exterior lugs q r, which are secured by brazing in the forward ends of the posite side of the frame.

tube-sections t' and the rear ends of the fork, respectively, as shown.

As will be readily observed from the foregoing, my improved frame C is neat in appearance and light in weight and at the same time is exceedingly stil and strong, and hence capable of withstanding the shock and strains to which bicycle-frames are ordinarily subjected.

The rear wheel B is generally of the ordinary construction. It. is peculiar, however, in that peripheral grooves s of angular form in cross-section are -t'ormed in the extended end portions 2f of its hub u, and said end portions t are reduced and threaded at .their outer ends, as indicated by fu, and are provided in said outer ends with threaded sockets w, as shown.

The construction ot' the bearings and gearing at the opposite sides of theframe A is the same, and therefore a description 'of the bearings, gearing, and appurtenances shown in section in-Fig. 2 will suffice to impart aclear understanding ofthe similar parts at the op- Referring to such sectional .part of Fig. 2, D is an annular bearing-cup screwed into the ringj and havinga flange x bearing against the inner side of the same, and E is an adjustable exteriorlythreaded bearing-cup screwed into' the ringj from the outside and having projections or other'means for the engagement of a turning implement.. These cups D E receive the eX- tended end tot' the wheel-hub u, and antifriction-balls y are interposed between them and the hub, which balls run in the groove t1, as shown. When it is desired to adjust the cup E, it is simply necessary to loosen the set-,screw y', which engages the same, and then turn said cup to the extent needed. F is a gear-wheel having a central threaded aperture e, which receives the threaded end r of the hub u and is secured on said hub by a screw o. This screw d takes into the socket w of the hub and has its head countersunk in the other side of the wheel, as shown.

Gis a journal screwed into the threaded aperture@ of the ring hand extending laterally outward therefrom. Thisjournal has a fixed cone b, a threaded portion c' to receive an adjustable cone CZ, and a reduced and IOC threaded end portion e' to receive a nut f, which has for its purpose to hold theadjustable cone against casual movement.

H is a comparatively large gearwheel which in the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises atoothed annulusg', which surrounds and is intermeshed with the gearwheel F, a central hub 7L', and spokes t", intel'- posed between the annulus or rim and the hub and having strengthening-ribsj at their inner sides. The hub 7L surrounds the journal G and is provided with an interiorannular rib 7t",at opposite sides of which cups Z' Z2 of angular form in cross-section are arranged, as shown. These cups l l2, in conjunction with the cones hfl, form races in which antifrictional halls m' are arranged, as shown.

I is a cap which closes the outerend of the hub and prevents dustand dirt from gaining accesstothebearings. Thiscaplhasallauge n', connected by screws p' or other suitable means to the outer face of 'the wheel H, and also has a central projection q', on which a crank J is fixed by a screw r or other suitable means.

By virtue of the construction described it will be seen that when the gear-wheels H are turned by the rider through the medium of the -oppositely-disposed cranks the gearwheels or pinions F and the wheel B will also be turned, and because ot' the difference in the sizes of the wheels F l-I the wheels Fand the traveling wheel B will be caused to make a nutnberof revolutions to each revolution ot the driving gear-wheels. It will also be observed that by virtue of the hubs 71,' of the driving gear-wheels surrounding thejournals G and extending1 quite close to the rings 7i: the bearings are entirely iuclosed and dust and dirt are el'fectually excluded therefrom. Vhile this is so, the removability of the caps of the hubs permits of ready access being had to the bearings when it is desired to adjust or lubricate the same. It will further be observed that by reason ofthe manner ol' xing the gear-wheels F on the ends of the hub of wheel B and the manner of mounting thegearwheels H on the journals G a narrow tread is afforded, which is an important advantage.

When my improvements are embraced in a womans bicycle, a suitable dropbar d', such as shown by broken lines in Fig. l, is used in the frame C in lieu of the top line-bar d.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. In a bicycle, the combination with the frame comprising the head-bar, the top linebar, the bottom line-bar terminating at its rear end in a tubular fork, the upright seatpost tube fixedly joined to the rear end of the top line-bar and terminating at its lower end ina tubular fork, the short tube-sections i arranged between the ends of the said forks, the ivnteriorly-threaded rings interposed between the rear ends of the tube-sections c' and the ends-of the tubular fork of the seat-post tube and having the lugs brazed in said ends, and the interiorly-threaded rings interposed between the forward ends of the tube-sections t' and the ends of the tubular fork on the bottoni line-bar and having lugs brazed in said ends; of annular threaded cups arranged in the rear rings of the frame, the rear or drive wheel having its hub extended through the bearing-cups and provided with peripheral grooves, antifriction balls arranged in said grooves and interposed bctween the hub and the cups, gearwheels fixed on the ends of the hub and having their outer sides flush with said ends, journals screwed into and extending laterally outward from the forward rings and having tixedaud adjustable cones, gear wheels surrounding and intermeshed with the gear-wheels on the hub ol the traveling wheel and having hubs surrounding the journals, antifriction-balls interposed between the cones of the journals and the hubs of said gear-wheels, removable caps connected to the outerside of said gearwheels and closing theouterends of the hubs, and cranks fixed 0n said caps, substantially as specified.

2. The herein-described bicycle-frame consisting essentially of the head-bar, the top line-bar, the bottom line-bar, terminating at its rear end in a tubular fork, the upright seat-post tube tixedly joined to the rear end of the top line-bar and terminating at its lower end in a tubular fork, the short tubesections arranged between the ends of the said tubular forks, the interiorly-thrcaded ringsj interposed between the rear ends of the tube-sections i and the ends of the tubular fork of the seatpost tube and having the lugs m n brazed in the rear ends 0f the sections t'and the ends of the fork of the seatpost tube, respectively; the said rings being adapted to receive the jot'irnal-bearings of a rear wheel, and rings 7n interposed between and having lugs brazed in the forward ends of the tube-sections t' and the ends of the tubular fork of the bottom line-bar; the said rings being interiorly threaded whereby they are adapted for the connection of journals, substantially as specied.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

NATHAN M. BARNES.

Witnesses:

J. T. MCGRAIG, B. C. TORELLE.

IIO 

